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I Hope They Call Him on a Mission
In 2006, when we created this song, our house was too small. We have since moved into a larger home. Our son, Jordan (then 16 years old), has long been outnumbered by his much younger three sisters. One advantage that he has always had, however, is being able to enjoy his own room. The girls were stuck sharing a small living space the best they could with bunk beds and whatever other space-saving items they could come up with. One day, while we were visiting my parents, the topic of discussion came around to our crowded house and my Mother just innocently mentioned how happy Rachel (the eldest daughter of nine years) would probably be when her brother, Jordan, went away on his mission so that she could have her own room. That stuck in my mind for a while (a great songwriter is constantly storing away possible themes, but I do it anyway).
Some time later, our family was home and I think we were all preparing some lunch in the kitchen and we just started singing some primary songs, and sometimes we just throw in our own words to be funny (okay, maybe our family is weird, but we do that when nobody is around).
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| His room will be waiting here for him; I just hope he doesn't mind pink... |
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So I just substituted some words for “I Hope They Call Me On A Mission” and Rachel loved the idea, so we ironed out some words and, after a few minutes, the chorus to “I Hope They Call Him On A Mission” was born. I took that and, in my spare time, came up with some explanatory verses to work our way to the chorus. For the additional music, I relied heavily on the infamous chords from one of Jordan’s favorites, the song loved by all aspiring improvisational pianists, “Heart and Soul” - and just tried to leave room for artistic license in its performance. I was pleasantly surprised by the result.
The first recording was just of me, but then we convinced Rachel to get in front of the microphone at the recording studio and sing it and this is the recording that I have included here – it makes a lot more sense for her to sing it instead of me.
I have also included a YouTube video of a performance that Rachel and I did at a youth conference in 2008.
Obviously, this is sort of a silly song; but, for the record, Jordan did serve a faithful mission to Uruguay from 2009-2011, and it was a blessing to our entire family. We are grateful, for many more reasons than just the extra space we enjoyed in our home, that they did “call him on a mission.”
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I Hope They Call Him on a Mission
By Michael D. Squires
(from the perspective of a younger sister)
My brother to me is a great example
Of what a young man should aspire to be.
We have our quarrels and constant teasing
But the love we share is still plain to see
He’s the only boy found in our family
And his favored treatment has caused my doom.
You see, he has his own four walls of heaven,
While my two sisters and I have to share one room.
I hope they call him on a mission;
I hope they call him very soon.
So he can be a missionary
And I can move all of my stuff into his room.
While he’s off teaching and preaching
To help God’s children return to heaven some day,
I’ll finally be enjoying my own paradise on earth
In that room where he’d never let me stay.
They say that time will pass by quickly,
That they come back before you can blink.
Well, his room will be waiting here for him;
I just hope that he doesn’t mind pink.
I hope they call him on a mission;
I hope they call him very soon.
So he can be a missionary
And I can move all of my stuff into his room.
I hope he learns to preach the gospel,
And stays for at least a year or two,
So I can make my transformation,
And paint and decorate as younger sisters do.
So I’ll encourage him to do what’s right,
Help him prepare to do the Lord’s will.
You see, he must be worthy when the time draws near,
Or I may find myself in the girls’ room still.
I hope they call him on a mission;
I hope they call him very soon.
So he can be a missionary
And I can move all of my stuff into his room.
I hope he learns to preach the gospel,
And stays for at least a year or two,
So I can make my transformation,
And paint and decorate as younger sisters do.
So I can make my transformation,
And paint and decorate as younger sisters do.
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